The birth of a child is guaranteed to change the priorities of any new parent. For Jen and Stu Findlay, the birth of their daughter Maisie cemented the couple’s shared desire to shift their working lives from being income oriented towards prioritising family-friendly work they genuinely enjoyed. The couple, who moved to Brisbane in 2018 after meeting and living in Melbourne for several years, each boast experience in the realm of hospitality – Stu, a Newcastle-born Geordie, has worked coffee machines at numerous Melbourne cafes, while Jen is a seasoned hand at wine marketing and journalism. Opening a cafe is a pivot they’ve long envisioned themselves enacting as a way to spend more time with their bub and beloved pups, but with a pandemic making life difficult for hospitality operators and Jen on unpaid maternity leave, certain cards had to fall their way to make the dream viable. When Jen and Stu saw an existing cafe space on Kennedy Terrace in Paddington (the former home of Fox and Rabbit Coffee Co.) come up for sale, the couple saw an opportunity to create a cosy suburban coffee spot that reflected their own story and tastes. After securing the keys, the Findlays got to work modernising the space with new lights, a brand-new coffee machine and a lick of paint – the result is a calm and decluttered cafe boasting blonde-timber furnishings (across interior and footpath dining), neutral tones and pops of greenery. Milo & Maisie Coffee Co. (named after the couple’s springer spaniel Milo and daughter Maisie) is the Findlay’s take on a community-centric cafe that is all about supporting locals, whether it means being ready with a coffee post daycare drop-off, accommodating casual weekend catch-ups, or stocking goods made from local businesses.

In addition to being a community hub, Jen and Stu want Milo & Maisie to be a place known for consistently good coffee. With this goal in mind, the couple put in the hours revisiting coffee roasters they enjoyed, sampling blends and single origins before partnering with an outfit that matched the duo’s values. Sumner Park’s Parallel Roasters, with its ethical practices and boundary-pushing carbonic maceration methods, ticked all the boxes and soon was enlisted to supply Milo & Maisie’s two grinders with its house and Shifting Light blends for espresso pours. Batch brew could also be on the cards if local demand dictates its addition. Non-coffee drinkers can opt for juices, milkshakes, spiced hot chocolate and vegan chai from local supplier CHA-i, while little ones can sip on pint-sized babycinos. As the cafe is only equipped with a small kitchen, Jen and Stu are keeping Milo & Maisie’s selection of comestibles concise, starting with pastries from Crust & Co. Artisan Baking and Wholly Crumpets before moving on to an evolving range of brunch bites like ham, cheese and caramelised-onion jam toasties, smashed avocado with fetta and Australian bush dukkah, and smoky beans on toast with sour cream and avo. Milo & Maisie’s on-site retail section will also evolve over time, stocking everything from essentials like milk, eggs and bread to specialty items like coffee beans, locally made preserves from Paddington Jams and Sauces, and flavoured salts and garnishes from Bush Botanics. The cafe is dog friendly, with dog biscuits available for furry friends for a small charitable donation, proceeds of which Jen and Stu will donate to Animal Welfare League Queensland.

Milo & Maisie is open to the public. Fancy stopping in? Be sure to check out the Stumble Guide listing for operating hours and other important details.